After 800 years an iconic London meat market is being moved to a new location

Britain’s oldest meat market, known for its colourful auctions, has found a new home in east London Docklands near the City Airport.

The Smithfield meat market and Billingsgate fish market have been selling fresh produce to hungry Londoners for an impressive 800 years.

After first opening as a livestock market in the Middle Ages, the market became a hotspot for traders to get their meat and fish wholesale in the 19th century.

The modern market is known for the pre-Christmas meat auction, a spectacle which sees crowds gathered around a stage waving wads of cash in a bid to try to win chunks of meat not sold during the festive period.

The iconic market could have a new spot in Newham, east London, just a stone’s throw from the City Airport next door after a proposal to relocate it was unveiled by the City of London Corporation, which runs the market.

Under the plan, the meat and fish market will relocate to Albert Island, which is part of the London Docklands development area.

The proposed site sits off the eastern tip of the City Airport airstrip on the 25-acre island owned by the Greater London Authority. The site appears to be largely undeveloped brownfield earmarked for regeneration.

The potential move could boost the local expenditure by £750 million and add around 2,200 jobs in Newham, which is one of the most deprived boroughs in London.

Most of the fish and meat traders have agreed to move together to a new site, while others are planning to move to others, and no business is thought to be closing because of the change, it is understood.

When will the fish and meat market move?

There are no immediate changes to how the markets operate, and both will remain at the current Smithfield and Billingsgate site until at least 2028.

However, before the move can happen, there are official hurdles that need to be cleared first – the parliament has to approve a bill for the market to close at the current site, and Newham borough will need to give it the green light with a planning permission.

Traders’ representatives have welcomed the plan for the new site, saying it will put both traders’ and customers’ minds at ease.

Greg Lawrence, chairman of Smithfield Markets Traders’ Association, said: ‘Identifying a preferred new site marks a significant step forward — and we’re well ahead of where we thought we’d be by Christmas. This location offers Traders the space and opportunity to grow our businesses while continuing to serve customers across London and the South East.

‘Along with my fellow Traders, we will continue to work closely alongside the City of London Corporation, which has led efforts to identify a new site. We’re now all keen to get cracking with the next steps.’

Tony Lyons, from the London Fish Markets’ Association, said: ‘Finding a site just a few miles away means we’ll still serve our customers while vastly improving both our working environment and ability to expand. 

‘Although there’s more work ahead of us to design a new, modern market, we’ll be staying open for business where we are for several more years.’

The market was at risk of closure last year when the owners rejected its move to a site in Dagenham, which traders warned would have put them out of business.

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